Financial crimes in Russia rarely command such a lengthy sentence, and supporters of Navalny believe he is being unfairly targeted because of his opposition views. During the final arguments in a Moscow courthouse on Friday, prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Navalny to nine years in prison with one additional year for a previous conviction.

Navalny's brother Oleg is also on trial and the two appeared in the courtroom together. The two men are being charged with defrauding a French cosmetics company in a criminal case. Prosecutors are asking that Oleg Navalny be imprisoned for eight years.

Alexei Navalny delivered a speech to a Moscow court on Dec. 19.

Image: Mashable Evgeny Feldman

On Friday, both men were able to address the courtroom. In a powerful final statement, Alexei Navalny took several jabs at the Russian government, claiming the state was founded on lies that he was "not prepared to tolerate."

He then likened his brother being put on trial to the Russian authorities taking him as a "hostage." In his defiant words to the courtroom, Navalny asserted that no matter the verdict, he would not be stopped.

“I won’t stop, even if they take these hostages," said Alexei Navalny.

Alexi Navalny exits the Moscow courthouse on Dec. 19.

Image: Mashable Evgeny Feldman

Navalny's lawyer closed by listing off all of the flaws in the state's case against his client. The verdict is expected to be announced on January 15, and supporters of Navalny have already begun to organize protests in Moscow for that date.

Alexei Navalny ran in a mayoral election in Moscow in 2013, and though he lost, he had unexpectedly strong support. He initially rose to prominence for investigating corruption in the Kremlin. Navalny is a lawyer and wrote a popular blog before organizing large scale anti-Putin protests in Moscow in 2011.

In 2013, Navalny was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to prison, but he was released after thousands protested his conviction and handed a suspended sentence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Additional reporting from Evgeny Feldman.

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